Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: September 9, 1965
Cover: December 1965
12 cents
Incredible story by: Stan Lee!
Incomparable pencilling by: Jack Kirby!
Invincible inking by: Joe Sinnott!
Inevitable lettering by: Artie Simek!
20 pages
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| Fantastic Four #44 | Reading order | Fantastic Four #46 |
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I know how it feels to be a misfit– to haveta depend on your strength– because you aint got anythin’ else to offer anyone!
This is an incredible moment in Marvel’s history. The same month that introduces the Inhumans, the Eternity Saga comes to a climax as Dr. Strange engages Baron Mordo in final battle. And the Master Planner Saga begins in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man. (We’ll read that story right after this one.)
Plus X-Men meet the Sentinels; SHIELD vs. Hydra; Odin vs. Absorbing Man. These coming months are the best period in Marvel’s history.
Gorgon has captured Medusa. Dragon Man has captured Sue. The remaining FF members are caught in a collapsing building caused by Gorgon’s shock wave kick.
Thing seems particularly down on himself: “I’ve been nothin’ but a thorn in yer sides for months anyway!” In fairness, he did quit the team and join the Frightful Four.
The Torch too. “I failed you–both of you–when you needed me the most!” Quite the pity party here.
We check in on Sandman and Trapster. Why do we check in with Sandman and Trapster? I guess it’s a little relevant as they’re Medusa’s old teammates. But also underscores this idea that they are part of the cast now, so we follow up. We’ll peek in again in a dozen issues. This is on its way to becoming an ongoing saga with an ensemble cast, as opposed to the isolated adventures of a small group.
Dragon Man basically a child; Sue tames him, convinces him they mean no harm. That’s cool. Better than constant mindless violence.
Dorrie Evans. Human Torch’s girlfriend. Last seen in Strange Tales #133, where we bid her farewell. I don’t think she’s ever been mentioned in the Fantastic Four title prior to last issue. Johnny calls her for a date, but she has a date with another guy. Angrily, Johnny goes for a walk. Where he sees another girl, is instantly smitten, and will never think about Dorrie ever again. He did note she’d been at the wedding, though we didn’t see her. She was depicted in the 1990s retellings of the wedding we read.
This new girl seems to control wind and fire, so Johnny is definitely in love.
Her name is Crystal, Chris for short. I imagine I’d spell her name “Crys”. “Chris” is my name, sensibly short for “Christopher”. While I think of it as a common name, we’ve actually yet to see a single “Chris” in our Marvel reading. Until now, with Crystal.
She also seems to have a dog, Lockjaw. Lockjaw’s master is named Black Bolt. Black Bolt had built them a place of sanctuary. Who are they? Crystal thinks Johnny is one of them. She says she’s not human; Johnny doesn’t think she’s a mutant.
Thing hasn’t heard from Alicia recently. Has she found someone else? Does she love him or just pity him?
Karnak can find the one weak spot in any object and destroy it. After study, he shatters a block of marble with one chop. There is a flaw in all things.
Medusa doesn’t wish to see Torch harmed, for he befriended her. Has she forgotten the whole Frightful Four stint? Where she repeatedly tried to murder them for no particular reason.
So here we have it it. Gorgon and Medusa are part of this strange group. Johnny calls them Inhumans. Karnak. The mysterious Triton. The lovely young Crystal. In the finale, we meet Black Bolt. We’ll learn more about him next issue.
Hopefully, you are starting to see why this is getting exciting. The Inhumans become pretty major Marvel characters. They even get their own TV series.
Anson Mount as Black Bolt; Serinda Swan as Medusa; Eme Ikuwakor as Gorgon; Isabelle Cornish as Crystal; Ken Leung as Karnak; and, Mike Moh as Triton.
I watched the pilot when it was released in cinemas. I hoped since they’d be showing it in cinemas, it would be of movie quality. It was not. Network TV quality. Awful, awful show. I never watched any further.
But it’s got Lockjaw.
The one nice thing about the show is it was filmed in Hawaii, where I was living when it was released. I think I was the only person who showed up for the IMAX premiere who wasn’t related to one of the extras.
Mount’s Black Bolt also showed up in the recent Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Both he and the director seemed to struggle with how he could act while never speaking and wearing such a full mask.
But the Inhumans are great characters. Stan Lee refers to them as villains in the “next issue” blurb, but Jack seems to have something more complicated in mind. The Inhumans will explore ideas similar to X-Men, and that Kirby will revisit much later in Marvel’s Eternals.
I first met and became interested in the Inhumans in 1991 when they teamed up with the Avengers in The Collection Obsession, which ran from Avengers #334-339 and kicked off a favorite era of Avengers, by Bob Harras, Steve Epting, and Tom Palmer.
But I really became a fan in 1998 with a new series focusing on their strange culture, by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee.
Check out the new bike.
Rating: ★★★★☆, 76/100
Significance: ★★★★★
I read this story in Fantastic Four Omnibus vol. 2.
We’ll add this to our Best We’ve Read page, which unfortunately leaves no more space in the top 100 for the introduction of Hawkeye from Tales of Suspense #57.
Characters:
- Mr. Fantastic
- Human Torch
- Thing
- Dragon Man
- Invisible Girl
- Sandman
- Trapster
- Crystal
- Lockjaw
- Karnak
- Triton
- Black Bolt
Story notes:
- Dragon Man sort of breathes fire. Thermal breath.
- Torch generates near-nova amount of white light.
- Torch invites Dorrie out, but she has another date.
- Thing helps Reed with iconometric-frammistat.
- Seeing his powers, Crystal thinks Johnny is one of them.
- Black Bolt is Lockjaw’s master.
- Lockjaw has the power to vanish.
- Crystal claims not to be a human.
- Black Bolt built a place of safety.
- Frank Sinatra reference.
- Karnak fears no one, except Black Bolt.
- “Triton does not interfere! What will be will be!”
- Torch makes flaming 4 signal.
- Reed built airjet-cycle.
- Johnny refers to them as Inhumans.
| Previous | #444 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Fantastic Four #44 | Reading order | Fantastic Four #46 |
| Fantastic Four #44 | Fantastic Four | Fantastic Four #46 |
